Vampire's Forest
by Dragonbooks249
Summary: Everyone was weary of the Vampire's Forest. They say a group of men had ventured in to drive out the vampire and his mate. They succeeded in killing one of them, but at a terrible cost. Upon the death of his beloved, the vampire and his son swore vengeance on all humans. Anyone who lays eyes on the vampire either never returns, or comes back mad. More summery inside. Blindshipping.
1. Prologue: Loss

Well, another prologue to try to get me feeling better. This is the newest story idea I've had, somehow coming to me while watching Civil War this weekend and toying around with the idea. This will probably be a shorter story than what I'll usually do, but I want to do it anyways. The general mood of the story just seems like it will be the perfect outlet for my depressing feelings.

Vampires, original I know, but this is one of four vampire stories I have on my mind now.

This is a Blindshipping story, or more technically as I've seen it called, Egyptianshipping. I'm tagging Yugi, and he does have a part in the story, but it's the closest thing I can get to Heba. I don't want to put him as anything else. For those of you who don't know who Heba is, he's like another version of Yugi almost. No idea who came up with him in the first place, but he is most commonly, from what I've seen, used as Yugi's twin brother/son. It should be obvious which I'm using here. Also as a side note, 'Yugi' means game in Japanese while 'Heba' means game in egyption, if I'm not mistaken.

Summary: Everyone was weary of the Vampire's Forest. They say a group of men had ventured in to drive out the vampire and his mate. They succeeded in killing one of them, but at a terrible cost. Upon the death of his beloved, the vampire and his son swore vengeance on all humans. Anyone who lays eyes on the vampire either never returns, or comes back mad. At least, that's what they say. How will Atem fair when he dares to venture into the forest? And what will he do when he meets another youth, one who looks strikingly like him, in the woods?

Oh, and before I forget, **WARNINGS:** Major character death, angst, and yaoi. If none of that is any bother to you, read on.

Tell me how it is.

* * *

They were running, running. The bark of dogs and the harsh voices of men on their heels. He clung to his mother like his life depended on it, which was an accurate assumption. His father had his mother's hand firmly in his grasp as he pulled his family along behind him. Even to him, only three years old, he could see his normally invincible father scared. And that made him even more scared.

He buried his face into his mother's neck, trusting his parents to get them somewhere safe. It was his parents jerking to a stop that made him look up. They were cornered at a tall cliff. His mother looked at his father with the same scared amethyst eyes he had. "Yami, what are we going to do?"

Yami looked to his mate then, with their son clinging to his side. They couldn't climb the cliff, they were too tired to climb quickly; the accursed hunters would be there by the time they were halfway up and they would be sitting ducks for their arrows. He cursed and searched the cliff face for an alcove or cave for them to hide in. Luckily, he found one and none too soon; the light of the humans' torches was coming up behind them.

"This way." Yami led them to the small cave, it was just big enough to hide them all. He saw the fear in his family's eyes and told them, "It will be okay." He placed a gentle kiss on his young son's forehead and another to his mate. Yami pressed his forehead to his and whispered, "I'll make sure both of you get out of this. I'll keep you safe Yugi. "

"What about you?" Yugi breathed. Yami just smiled.

The dogs barking was right outside of the cave entrance. Yugi slid his son to the floor and moved in front of him protectively. The child looked at him curiously. "Mommy?" he questioned with wide eyes.

Yugi just smiled at his son and told him, "It will be okay, Heba"

The light from the torches drew ever closer. Yami pressed himself closer to his family, trying to shield them from the hoard of humans coming after them.

There was a moment of silence before a harsh voice called out, "Come out, vampire! We know you're in there!"

Yami stiffened before glancing at the opening. Yugi, seeing what his mate was planning, grabbed his arm. "No, Yami. Don't do it. Please." He begged his mate with his eyes, begging him to stay with them.

Cupping his mate's face with his hands, Yami gently instructed, "When I make an opening, run with Heba."

"No. No Yami! I won't leave you. I _can't_ leave you. They'll kill you!" Yugi cried out in denial.

"I have no intention of dying, Aibou." Yami looked deep into the tear filled amethyst eyes he loved so much. "I just want to be sure both of you get out unscathed." When Yugi continued to shake his head Yami implored, "I don't think I could live with myself if either of you were hurt."

Yugi was about to say something when he felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down at Heba, looking at them with scared confused eyes. "Mommy? Daddy?"

Looking down at his son, barely old enough to drink on his own, Yugi knew what he had to do. His shoulders slumped in resignation. "Alright Yami. I'll wait for you by the falls."

Yami smiled at his mate and told him, "If I'm not there by morning, go to Bakura and Ryou." Another nod. He knelt down to Heba then and said to him, "You don't need to worry, Daddy will take care of this."

As he pulled his son into a hug, the human leader demanded, "Get out here now, vampire, before we send the dogs in!"

Sharing one last lingering kiss with the one who he loved more than anything else in the world, and a heartfelt exchange of "I love you", Yami went to face the hoard.

He glared at all present and to his satisfaction, many flinched under his gaze. "What do you want?" he seethed. "My family and I have lived peacefully in these woods for years, never bothering you. I've done business with many in the village; selling the meat and hide of the animals we catch. Why do you possibly have to gain by pressuring us?"

Many of the men surrounding the cave snorted. Their leader went to say, "But for how much longer would that have lasted? We know your kind. How much longer before people started to go missing? How long would it be before you and your mate got board of deer's blood? Especially now with your child. We have to kill you now, for our sake and the sake of our families!"

There was a roar of agreement from the throng. Yami could clearly see he was getting nowhere with the crowd. Mob mentality had taken over. All he could do was give Yugi a opportunity to runaway with Heba and try not to die on them.

With a wild cry, Yami launched himself at the left wing of the crowd, where they were spread the thinnest. The men were taken by surprise and buckled under the assault. "Go!" he screamed once the way was clear. Yugi bolted out of the cave, running as fast as he could away from the fight.

Yami felt a faint spark of relief before he heard two pain filled cries that sent icy bolts of fear and horror through his very being. Heart filled with the worst kind of dread, he spun around and was greeted with a sight that shattered his whole world. There, lying mere feet from where he stood, was Yugi, an arrow protruding from his back.

An inhuman cry of fury, hatred, grief, and self loathing was ripped from Yami's mouth. The momentary triumph the hunters had felt was wiped away in a wave of pure fear at the sound. Dark, inky tendrils sprouted from the shadows of the night, responding to Yami's agony. Within moments, they had broken all of the humans' necks, sending the dogs that were brought along into a panicked frenzy trying to get away.

But Yami payed no attention to what he had done, and rushed to the side of his fallen mate. Seeing it up close brought him to his knees. The arrow had ripped clean through his chest and he could see that the tip of the arrow had cut Heba on his arm. Blood was pooling around his body, forming a growing blotch of red around them. Yugi's eyes were half open, the life that had once shone so brightly in them was snuffed out. Heba had been disoriented by the fall and was just starting to come around. He stared numbly as Heba whimpered, "Ow, it hurts. It hurts. Mommy, it hurts. Mommy, it hurts! Mommy! Mommy!"

He watched as Heba became aware of the lack of response from Yugi and tried to shake him awake. "Mommy, wake up. Mommy I need you. Wake up Mommy! You need to wake up!" His shaking turned desperate. "Wake up! Please Mommy! I need you, it hurts! Mommy! MOMMY!"

With shaky hands, Yami pulled his struggling son into his arms, still screaming for Yugi to wake up. "Daddy! Daddy help! Mommy won't wake up! You need to wake Mommy up! Daddy, you need to help Mommy! You said it would be okay! Mommy!" Heba screamed his throat raw while Yami slowly became aware of what he was saying to his distraught son.

"I'm here. Daddy's here. I've got you. I'm here." Over and over again he repeated his words, like a mantra. Yami began to rock back and forth, rocking Heba to sleep. Yami could see the scratch on his arm wasn't too deep, but it would still leave a scar. He cleaned the wound and bound it with a strip of his cloths. He bundled up Heba with his jacket and placed him on a soft bed of leaves.

It ways only know that the reality of the situation hit him. Yugi was dead. With an anguished cry, Yami brought Yugi's body into his arms. He brought his hand up to cup Yugi's cheek only to recoil at the feel of the rapidly cooling flesh. "No." he whispered. "No." he repeated with more force. "No, no, no, NO! YUGI!"

Brokenhearted sobbing was the only sound in the forest that night as the vampire mourned his love. Yami cradled the body close to his chest, begging for Yugi to come back. Memories of his precious Aibou began to flicker through his mind as he felt tears streaming down his face.

Slowly, Yami began to come to his senses. _How? How could this happen?_ Taking a quick survey around the area yielded the answer. A short ways away, there was a dead human with a bow and arrows lying on the ground a fair distance from the others. _I see_ Yami thought _They purposely left that side open so the archer would have a clear shot._ He and Yugi had used that tactic while hunting many times before.

Yami's tortured screams began anew, this time filled self loathing and pain. _How could I have done this?! I played right into their trap! I should have seen it! How could I have not seen such an obvious trap?! I_ lead _Yugi to his death! I killed him! I killed him!_ He was prepared to stay the whole night like that, cradling the dead body of his mate, hating himself, had it not been for what Yami had felt as his Aibou's presence, forcing him to look up.

There, perfectly framed by the moonlight, was Heba, their perfect son, and Yami's little tenshi. He was an almost perfect copy of Yugi; same hair, same eyes, and the same round cherubic face. The only difference was while Yugi, and Yami as well, had pale skin, Heba's was a brilliant bronze color. A fond memory surfaced at the sight of his son.

" _Why does he have such tan skin?" a tired Yugi asked, holding a newborn Heba in his arms._

" _He gets it from my side. My father had tan skin like that while I got my mother's pale skin."_

 _Yugi nodded and looked down at their new bundle of joy. "What do we name him?"_

" _How about Heba? He looks just like you aside from his tan."_

" _Heba is a perfect name."_

That had been one of the happiest days of Yami's life. It seemed like everything was perfect. He had Yugi, his aibou, and Heba, his tenshi. Looking down at Yugi's body he whispered, "I understand. Thank you Aibou." He closed Yugi's eyes and laid him on the ground.

His gaze fell on the multiple human corpses that fell where they stood. His eyes filled with hatred. He may have fallen for the trap but the humans were still the ones to set it. If they had just left them alone, none of this would've happened!

With the aid of the shadows, Yami moved the bodies to a pit where the scavengers of the forest liked to come around. With the deed done, he went to take care of Yugi's body. He decided to bury him in the cave they spent their last moments together in. The soil was surprisingly soft and it wasn't long until that to was done.

Yami stared at the freshly turned soil before turning back to his son. Heba, his tenchi, was still sleeping though it was evident he was having nightmares. He pulled the young boy into his arms where the petrified toddler clung to him like he had to Yugi just hours before.

A deep, burning hatred was ignited in Yami's soul then. He had buried his mate, his love, his Aibou that night. He had failed in his duty to protect him, but he wouldn't fail in protecting the life they had brought into this world. He would protect Heba, his son, his tenchi, the last gift Yugi had given him.

From that point on, any human Yami saw in the forest was killed by his own hand. It didn't take long for the locals to get the message: If you value your life, stay out of the forest. It wasn't until years later, when a foolish teen came back gibbering from the forest, mind lost to the world, did they know why. This was the vampires' vengeance for claiming the life of one of their own. Since then, those dangerous woods were called the Vampire's Forest.

* * *

I'm officially crazy. This is the fourth story I've started. The third I've started was earlier today. And this could be my first completed story. I can just feel this will be shorter story, somewhere between maybe 30k to 40k words. And I've put this in the Hurt/Comfort genre. That's about how I feel know, so~

Emotional pain has a weird sort of satisfaction for me. I killed Yugi. T-T Just reading over this causes my heart to physically ache. I can feel it in the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. This could be the story to help me get back on my feet, I don't know.

Where is my fanfiction account going? I don't know. I just want to try to get some order going. Let me know what you think.


	2. In the Forest

Wow. I'm surprised at myself. I've updated this story fairly quickly. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I got a phone that actually _works_ and now I can work on stories during the little pockets of free time I have at school. It could also be that I do want to write more consistently now, and this is the story that flows easiest for me at the moment. Or both. Well, I don't really care, so let's get on with the replies.

Replies to Reviews:

SilverDewDrop - Aww, thanks for reading this. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, but thanks for at least reading and reviewing for this one. And I don't know why, but killing off characters is fairly easy for me. It hurts, but I still do it. I've got a dozen and a half more one-shot ideas that end in Yugi's death, but I'll probably never write them.

The last Nightwalker - *Shivers* Well, I can safely assure you that the only things I'll ever make "sparkle in the sunlight" will be pieces of jewelry, if that. And yeah, vampires. I didn't really like them that much either until I read "Crimson Eyed Anger" by SilverExorcist405. That was the first fanfiction I ever read for the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom and got me hooked on both Puzzleshipping and vampires (God, I just wish she'd update!). She's a master at writing angst and hurt/comfort, and she has several HXH fics as well if you want to check them out. Glad you think my crazy adds some nice spice into the mix. Hope you like this chapter.

For The Love of Things Nerdy - Glad you liked the story! It was supposed to be sad when Yugi died. His death does have purpose and it pained me to do it

KuramaShadowFoxYokai - Yugi has never done anything to want to make me kill him, but his death is not without purpose. It affects a lot of what I want to happen later in the story.

ktkat9 - Well, your first question will be answered later, but your second is in this chapter! Read on!

loverofhell - Glad you enjoyed the prologue! Here's the next chapter with more on the way.

Stephiel9816 - Thank you!

Sorry to the 8th reviewer. was being an ass and wouldn't let me see your reviw. Thanks for leaving it though!

So, this is the first chapter. Hope it's good.

* * *

Atem had dared to enter the Vampire's Forest. But he wasn't like most who did it to try to catch the elusive creature for a bounty, on some foolish dare made by his peers, or even some who ventured in with suicide in mind. No, he was there because he knew this was the only place he could go where he knew with absolute certainty no one would bother him.

He had finally gotten desperate enough for some peace to dare enter the one place most never came out of again, or if they did, they were driven mad. That was not to say that he wasn't wary, he would be a fool not to be. There was just simply no other option for him; he was going insane where he was. His father was the head of the local trading company and as his only son, Atem was expected to learn the trade.

It was all well and good, if it hadn't been for one problem; Atem had no interest in taking over the company. The business deals and inner politics of the position bored him to tears and irritated him beyond belief. More often than not he lost patience dealing with sleazy shop owners trying to pull the wool over his eyes like he was a child. While his age, just 18 years old, would support the theory, it was a mistake to assume so. Atem had no love for the trade, but his mind was razor sharp and never missed anything.

His father was always dragging him to go to the business deals he made so he could see how it was done. He seemed to either not know or not care about the reluctance his done showed those deals. Most likely the latter. That wasn't all. His father's company was fairly successful, so wherever he went, there were plenty of women who thought they could get a free ride in life if they got close to him. Atem was sick and tired of them both.

As he trekked on through the forest, Atem sighed. Why couldn't Seto take over instead of him? His elder cousin had a knack for business and everything that came with the territory. His passions were more for games, or even working with his hands. Atem just got so restless when having to sit through boring meetings for hours on end.

The dense shadow of the trees was suddenly replaced with bright sunshine. Atem blinked before he took in his surroundings. There was a large space cleared of all weeds and trees that would usually block out the sunshine. Flowers of every color were planted in neat rows, growing beautifully. Bushes with different colored berries hanging from their branches lined the edges of the flowers, acting like a fence.

Fear flashed through Atem's mind then. He had wandered through the bushes and was now standing among the flowers. It was impossible for this to have grown naturally. Someone had come and cultivated the plants, frequently to, judging by the health and condition of the garden.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Atem spun around to see a boy about his age that looked remarkably like him standing to the side of the garden, a basket on his arm and hands on his hips. Inwardly, he sighed in relief. The boy shared his tan skin; vampires were said to be pale skinned. There was no way that he could be the vampire. His skin tone was wrong and he looked to young to be either of the vampires; the legend that surround the forest had been around for generations. Surely even vampires don't age that slowly.

Now with the fear fading from his system, Atem started to stare at the new arrival. The resemblance between them was uncanny. His hair held the same star shape as his held, while it was tipped in amethyst, not crimson like his. He also had an extra golden fringe hanging in the middle of his face while he had golden bangs like lightning bolts shooting into the black body of his hair. His eyes were a round amethyst, like his hair, where Atem had sharp crimson eyes.

"I asked you a question." The boy looked more annoyed now and crossed his arms.

Atem was startled out of his blatant staring and asked, "Is this your garden?"

The other's eyes narrowed. "I asked first."

He shrugged. "I just came here to get away. Everything was driving me crazy at home."

"Is that so?" The boy's posture relaxed slightly, before stiffening again. At the affirmative nod, he asked another question. "Why come out here to the Vampire's Forest? You do know it's reputation, don't you?"

"You mean the fact that few come back with their minds intact once they enter, if they come back at all? I'm aware. And the same could be said about you. Why are _you_ out here?" It was Atem's turn to get some answers.

The boy glared back. "I'm out here to tend to my garden." His expression turned deadly serious. "Do you know the legend of the forest?"

Something told Atem that this was an important crossroads in his life and needed to be treated as such. Though the nature of the question confused him, he thought it best to answer as honestly as he could. "I know that it is said that hunters came into the forest to drive out the vampire and his family long ago. They managed to kill his mate, but in retaliation, the vampire slaughtered them all. Both he and his son swore to kill any and all humans that dares to try find them."

"What do you think of what happened?"

"What do you mean? What does that have to do with anything?" Atem was more confused than ever at this point. Why was this boy asking him these questions?

"Just answer. Who do you think is the bad guy in the story?"

He didn't know why, but Atem had the distinct feeling that his life was somehow in the other's hands. His answer would decide his fate. "I've always thought the attack was unprovoked. Just because they were vampires doesn't justify it. They had never bothered anyone before they were attacked. I can't really blame them for what they do."

For a moment, the boy just stared at him. Amethyst gems bored deep into crimson pools, searching for the truth. Then, seeming to find it, his serious expression faded into a smile. Then the smile into laughter. Though Atem was confused as to the boy's reaction, he could honestly say he liked the sound of his sweet, bell like laugh.

When he was able to get his laughing under control, the boy looked up, still with a smile on his face. "I think you're the first person I've meet to ever share my opinion on the matter."

"Was that a test?" Atem asked blinking, watching the boy as he came up to him. The closer he came, the more the tension in the air seemed to fade.

"You could say that." The boy stopped in front of Atem and extended his hand. "My name's Heba."

"Atem. You said this was your garden?" he asked, taking his hand and shaking it. "Of you don't mind my asking, why do you have a garden so deep in Vampire's Forest?"

Heba shrugged. "This is the only place I could have it, really. There isn't a space around my house for one and there's a stream here close enough to bring the water for the plants."

Looking around at all the plants, the sound of a running stream just registered in Atem's ears. "Yes, but, couldn't you just as easily have made your garden somewhere that isn't Vampire's Forest?"

Heba looked uncertain as how to answer the question. "My dad," he started slowly, "is very overprotective of me. He doesn't want me anywhere near h-other people."

Atem heard the slip, and vaguely wondered what he was going to say, but let it slide. "But if your father is overprotective, why would he let his son regularly enter a place many do not come back from?"

"We've found that if you respect the forest, the vampires won't bother you." Heba stated simply.

There was a raised eyebrow at the response. "Why would anyone want come here often enough to even find that out?"

"Dad built our house right outside of the forest, on the opposite side of the village. He also hates people with a burning passion, so he won't trade with anyone but his friends. They don't come around as much, so we have to be mostly self sufficient. To get what we need, we have to go into the forest. That's also why he doesn't want me around people." Heba leaned over with a mischievous glint in his eyes and whispered, "Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be talking to you either."

"Then why are you?" Atem would be lying if he said he wasn't dieing to know his answer.

"Because I _never_ get to talk to anyone but my dad and his friends! The only people I've ever talked to my age before is a few of their kids and I barely ever see them." Heba moaned.

"Why don't you just sneak out to go to the village yourself?"

Heba made a big show of rolling his eyes. "Believe me, I tried that. When I did get to the village, I didn't know what to do! No one would give me the time of day. I ended up just going back home, and when I did, Dad _freaked out_. He lectured me for hours about why I shouldn't trust people, how most of them are selfish, and that they would never accept anyone who is different than they are."

"Have I been like that?" Atem asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

"Not so far." Heba returned the smirk in kind and playfully narrowed his eyes. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"No, no just teasing." he chuckled. "So, am I safe in assuming I'm the first person you've talked to that's not your dad in a long time?" Heba nodded, and Atem stared in shock. "Your father _seriously_ won't let you have contact with anyone else?" Another rueful nod. "Hasn't your dad _ever_ met a person who he liked?"

"Outside of his two friends and their partners, no. Dad sure seems to think that other people are the scum of the earth." Heba threw his arms up in exasperation.

"Do you?" Atem was now extremely curious about the other boy. He had a deep, burning desire to learn more about the boy he had just met.

Heba crossed his arms and looked up thoughtfully. "Most people I've met have fit well into the description my dad has always taught me." he started. "They come into the forest looking for some glory or try to impress their friends. Many have tried to attack me even, thinking I was the vampire. Especially after my jaunt to the village, my opinion of people hasn't been much better than my dad's."

"What about now?" The idea that Heba had only wanted to talk to him for a sense of novelty gave Atem an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He really wanted Heba to like him.

"I think you might be an exception." He chuckled a bit "The only reason I tried to talk to you was out of curiosity. No one has ever made it into my garden before, and you didn't freak out when you saw me. I've always wanted to find someone I could talk to, besides good old Dad." Heba looked down at the floor sadly.

Atem raised his eyebrows. "Still, why does your father hate people so much? Sure, some of them are greedy bastards, but most are pretty decent."

Heba gave him a pointed look. "That's something I'm not comfortable telling anyone I just met, no matter how nice they seem."

"I see." The tone of voice Heba had used to answer him was enough to tell him it was a sensitive topic. Wanting to continue the conversation, Atem asked, "Why do you have that basket?"

Looking down at the basket like he had forgotten he even had it with him, Heba said, "I told you we were self sufficient. That also means we have to make our own cloths. Dad may be fine with the undyed cloths of the hides, but I'm not. I started this garden to grow plants to make dyes and paints with."

For the first time, Atem noticed the dark coloring of Heba's cloths wasn't black like it had looked in the shadows, but a dark purple color. "That must take some time to do."

Heba gave him a smile and tilted his head back "I have to have something to do with my free time besides sitting on my ass." He looked up at the evening sun then. "Oh crap, Dad's expecting me back soon and I haven't even started."

Atem watched as Heba kneeled down to some of the flowers, expertly starting to gather the colorful petals without causing any unnecessary damage to the rest of the plant. "Could I give you a hand?"

He looked up from the ground at the other. A small smile decorated his face. "If you want to, thanks." Heba handed the basket to Atem and they started gathering the materials together.

The conversation continued as they worked. Atem learned that in order to deal with the fact that Heba had so little to do with his days, he had taken up art. All kinds. Heba told Atem of a place where he could get good clay for sculpting, how he would make canvases from wood and rabbit's skin for painting, and how he would even widdle from time to time. Heba even liked to make-up games for himself to play.

In return, Atem started to tell about himself. How he was board being the heir to the trading company and the fact he was an only child. Heba seemed to be interested in the fact that Atem was also into games and that the trading company traded in all sorts of games. They both enjoyed speaking about their shared interest.

The two spoke about whatever came to mind for them as they went along, gathering the necessary things Heba needed for his dye from the plants and generally getting to know one another.

Heba stood with his now filled basket some time latter. He gave a wary glance at the sun; it was almost set over the trees. Surely his dad was going to wonder what took him so long, he thought dejectedly. But looking over at Atem, and thinking about their very pleasent talk, he thought it just might have been worth it. "Well, that seems to be the last of it." he announced with a certain amount of regret.

He smiled at Atem and told him, "Thanks for the help. And for the first real conversation I've had with someone new in forever."

"It was my pleasure, really. I really enjoyed talking to you too." Atem's heart warmed at the genuine sincerity in those words as he smiled back standing up as well.

"D-do you think you could come to talk to me again sometime?" Heba looked anywhere but at Atem as he made the request. Spending all of his time alone in the woods had done nothing for his social skills.

Atem couldn't help burt smile at the way the question was said, unsure and a little embarrassed. "I would love to. This has been the best day I've had in _years_." Heba looked up at the comment, smiling back at Atem. "How about tomorrow at noon? Same place?"

Even before Atem finished his proposal, Heba was already nodding to accept it. "That would be perfect." He waved at Atem as he started to leave the garden. "I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

"I'll be looking forward to it!" Atem called after Heba as he saw his form fade into the trees. He stared after his form for a few extra moments before turning and walking back the way he came in, a smile plastered on his face. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

Heba hurried back home as fast as he could, mentally cursing at how long he took. Talking with Atem had slowed delayed him by an hour _at least._ Ever since that night, so long ago, Yami had been overprotective of him to the point of paranoia. In fact, it had taken until Heba was 13 for his father to leave him alone for longer than half an hour. _13!_ Not that the upgrade was much better. The only way he was left alone is if he always stayed exactly where Yami had left him and it would never be for longer than 3 hours.

Even then, Heba had to fight for him to let him go out on his own after he turned 18. When Yami blatantly refused his son's pleas for some freedom, Heba had ventured into the human village out of spite and to prove that he could take care of himself. That had simultaneously been the worst and best decision Heba had ever made in his life.

What he had said to Atem was true, mostly. While no one had paid him any attention when he first got there, he didn't just 'end up going back home'. It had only been 15 years since the massacre of the hunters. Heba had overheard some men at a bar griping about the events of the failed hunt and calling his father an "insatiable blood-sucking demon" among other things. While Heba had inherited his mother's curious nature, he got his temper from his father.

Immediately marching up to the men, meaning to defend his father and call out the wrongs of the slaughtered hunters, Heba did just that. None present who heard his outburst ignored him then. All present turned on him, defending their actions and criticizing him for what he had said. Every person had lost someone in the massacre; fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers.

But Heba heard none of that. All he could focus on was trying to get away. The men he had confronted had seized him and started to beat him. After multiple blows to all parts of his body, the man that had been holding him down on a table threw him into the wall. Before any could start kicking him, Heba made a mad dash for an opening between the legs of his attackers, all fury replaced by fear.

The people on the streets were just as enraged as the people by the bar. Heba found himself being pelted with all sorts of things on his desperate flight from the village. Even as he was fleeing the village, the people still weren't satisfied and forcibly drove him into the forest. Just as he had entered, Heba felt something large and heavy collide with his head.

Dizziness had consumed the young vampire then as he fell to the ground. Satisfied with what they considered a death sentence, the villagers left. Heba managed to drag himself to his feet, painfully making progress deeper into the forest. His body ached from the beating, he was heavily limping and bleeding; someone had gotten a broken bottle.

All along the way, Heba was cursing himself for ever making the decision to ever go anywhere _near_ the humans. His father had always been right, humans were savage animals. The black spots that had lingered around the edges of his vision were beginning to take over after a while. He had tripped over a root and couldn't get back up again.

Before Heba blacked out, he heard his father frantically calling for him on the edge of his hearing. He had somehow managed to call out to him and see petrified crimson eyes find him before whispering, "You were right." and passing out.

The next time he awake, he was bundled up in bed with his father sitting next to him keeping silent vigil. When he saw his son was awake, Yami had gotten something for him to drink then demanded to know what had happened. Heba recounted his experience and injuries at the hands of the humans, and Yami had exploded.

The result had been the worst argument to date between the close nit father and son. Yami had lectured Heba on the dangers of humans while Heba had countered with the fact that the only reason he had gone to the village was to prove to his father that he could handle himself. The argument had ended with Yami coldly telling his son, "I guess you failed." before leaving him alone for the rest of the night.

The next morning found both in very different moods. Yami had realized that he was indeed smothering his growing son while Heba realized where his father was coming from. He had lost the love of his life to humans, and he had just come within a hair's width of losing the only thing he had left to live for to them as well. Both had apologized to the other; Yami promised Heba to allow him to go off on his own and Heba had promised his father that he would never go into the human village again.

For the next few years, Heba had hated the humans with just as much passion had his father did. He now had his beating and his mother's death to fuel his hatred of them. But, his curiosity wasn't the only thing he had inherited form Yugi; he had also inherited his mother's forgiving nature.

As the years wore on, Heba remembered the fact that his father and he weren't the only ones to lose a loved one that night. While the hatred was still there, it didn't burn as fiercely as before. He started to give those humans who he encountered in the forest a sort of test to prove their worth. The test was just a simple question, the same one he had asked Atem, "What do you think of the events that happened in this forest?" Most failed. Atem was the first to pass.

The more the hatred faded, the more it was replaced by an odd sort of curiosity. Heba began to observe the humans from afar, just looking at their ways of living and interacting with one another, much like he did to the animals of the forest. After all, humans were just a highly intelligent species of animals, weren't they?

Yami had soon found out about his son's odd pastime, but did nothing more than to discourage it. Heba continued despite his father's discouraging. It wasn't long before Heba began to crave something more than his solitary life with his father in the isolated forest. He began to crave a friend.

Heba began to try to find one in the occasional 'visitors' he got in the forest, but all of them were just the kind of people he despised. So, when he had seen Atem, and not have him be like the people he had become accustomed to, it had sparked a great hope that he had finally found someone who he could call "friend". Not that he would ever let Atem know that.

Despite the hope that burned brighter than his hatred, Heba was still cautious of Atem. He had just met him that day, and only time would tell what kind of person Atem really was. If nothing else, Atem would be a break from the monogamy that Heba's life had always been and that was enough reason for him to be happy. He did love his father deeply, of that there was no doubt, but the art projects, work caring for his garden, and made-up games were only so interesting.

For the first time in many more years than Heba wanted to count, he was looking forward to the next day.

* * *

How was it? Just please let me know of any flaws were found, or if any of you have any suggestions to improve my writing. Constructive criticism is welcome! Encouraged, even! Leave a review down below please. :)


	3. Out Again

So, this story isn't as planed out as most of the ones I start writing for are. Usually, the idea sits in my mind while I play around with it, getting the exact points figured out, and trying to take care of any plot holes that may be present. The time it takes for me to get a story roughly 'planned out' is about two months. And I came up with this one on May 6th.

But, on the morning of May 9th, I was feeling extremely depressed and wanted to work my emotions out and started typing the prologue of my very newest idea. Which, as you all know, was pretty dark and reflected my mood perfectly (still sad I killed Yugi T-T). I poured every bit of my sadness into typing a rough draft of it all, then started to feel better while editing it and posting it that night.

The point of telling you all that? I only have a few scenes completely planned out, important plot points, and the all important ending clearly "written" in my mind. The rest is fuzzy and tentative at best. I'm going to be winging it most of the time while writing is story, so forgive some lameness. But I still intend to do my best for this story!

Replies to Reviews:

SilverDewDrop - You have no idea what that review meant to me. Thank you so much. I really wish I could give you a hug! And with Atem and Heba, I feel it's always more rewarding to have the love interests be friends first before anything else. Don't worry about the review length, just what you said and the fact you did is enough! And for the angst and hurt/comfort, the few scenes that I do have clear in my mind have both of them in large amounts, but isn't until later. Fluff first! Hope you enjoy!

The last Nightwalker - So glad you think so. I should hope that nothing seemed forced, given how long I worked on the chapter. In fact, that last scene was supposed to be Heba coming back home and talking to Yami. But, it was that, "flashback" if it could be called that. Anyway, I don't have a 'type' of vampire in mind, I just put my own preferences into the idea of vampires. It will be explained as we go. Hope you enjoy it!

KuramaShadowFoxYoki - You'll see when we get there…

InuYoiushi - Yay!

PhantomBat - I know, my spelling sucks. A third grader could spell better than me. I think the auto correct is the only thing that lets me spell some words correctly…(injury, conscience, despite, ect., ect.) But happy to hear you enjoyed it!

Stephiel9816 - Read to find out!

So, chapter two!

* * *

The sun had set over the tree line. Yami looked up from his work and felt a pang of anxiety when he saw Heba was not back yet. He was usually back by then, he had left for his garden when there was still a few hours of light left. By this time, Yami had already finished skinning the deer he had caught earlier that day and stripped anything they could use from it. Heba was usually back by then. Unless something happened.

Panic tore through Yami's heart then as he sprang up and started towards the forest. Then he caught himself and stood still. Deep breath. In. Out. In. Out. He sighed to himself and went back to watch for his son's return.

This wasn't the first time Heba was late coming back, far from it. But every time, without fail, it always sent waves of pure panic and fear crashing through his mind at the very thought that something had happened to his little tenchi. How could it not? Especially with the promise he made to Yugi on his grave.

Yugi… Just his name caused the awful gaping hole in Yami's very heart and soul to throb painfully. Not in a metaphorical sense either, his body physically ached to hold his Aibou in his arms. But that was impossible. Every fiber of his being yearned to be with his beloved Aibou; to hold him, kiss him, and tell him just how much he loved him. Not a day, no an _hour,_ went by without Yami thinking of his love and all that had been lost to both him and Heba that night.

Heba was the only reason Yami was even alive. If it hadn't been for the fact that Heba was still so young, completely dependent on _him_ for everything, Yami would have joined Yugi that very night. Even now, the only reason he didn't take his own life was because he couldn't bare the thought of leaving his son alone.

Yami walked over to the barrel of water outside his small home and stared at his shaky reflection. His hair was as wild as it ever was, looking much like his son's with deep crimson tips and more golden locks in the black body. His skin was pale, as was commonly associated with vampires, but with a faint gray ting. His eyes were slanted and pointed, colored the same as his hair tips. They were eyes that could bore into your soul like a hot knife through butter. But now they were filled with pain and longing, dark bags hung heavily from them. Yami gave a small smile to his reflection; that too was tainted with sadness.

Russiling could be heard from the bushes at the edge of the clearing of their home. All of Yami's attention was focused on the sound immediately. He cursed himself for not noticing the sound much sooner. He had been too absorbed in his grief, something that happened with increasing frequency over the years.

"Hi, Dad. I'm home. Sorry I was so late." The sound of his precious son's voice was music to Yami's ears. As soon as he was in sight, Yami pulled his son into a tight hug. "Dad, can't breathe." Too tight, it would seem.

Yami released his son from his hold and stood back to look at him. He was fine, not a scratch on him. He let go of the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "What took you so long, Tenchi?"

Heba smiled at the sound of his father's nickname for him and said, "I just got held up with something, no big deal." He then tried to slip past his overprotective father to get started on his dyes.

"Wait." Was Yami's stern reply. He grabbed Heba by the upper arm and pulled him back. "What aren't you telling me?" When he wouldn't meet his eyes, Yami took a deep breath, taking in the scents that clung to Heba. There were the expected smells of the forest and the strong fragrance of the flowers his son loved so much, but there was something else underneath that… It was…

He heaved a sigh as he placed the last scent. "What have I told you about watching the humans, Tenchi?" Though his instincts screamed at him to make his son abandon his dangerous pastime, accompanying him at all times if necessary, he asked the question in the same tired and annoyed tone that he had used so many times over.

"You've told me not to do it." Heba was stiff as he responded, looking away from his father.

"Than you should know how dangerous-"

"Why is it so dangerous?!" Heba snapped, surprising Yami. "I'm just watching them, it's not like I'm going up to them and trying to talk to them!" With an annoyed huff, he continued, still not looking at Yami, "They never even notice me. I'm always a good 20 feet from them."

"That's not the point Heba!" Yami grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around to face him. "No matter how safe you are, they _are_ going to notice you eventually." He cupped his son's chin then. "And when they do, they're not just going to let you go."

Usually at this point in the old argument they had every so often, Heba would nod and go along with his father's reasoning and that would be that. But instead he turned away from Yami's touch and mumbled, "You don't know that."

At this point, Yani exploded. "Of course I know that! Humans may be kind to their own, but they strike out at any anything that perceive as different from them. If something doesn't fit with how they think things should be, they will try to destroy it. That means us! I've seen it time and time again, without fail."

Heba was backing away, shaking his head. "That can't be true, not all humans can be like that. They just can't!"

Yami stared at his son, shocked. "What's gotten into you, Heba! You know as well as I that's human nature. They can't take the thought of being wrong, they always have to be right. If something challenges their way of thinking, they'll-"

"What about Mom!"

Instant silence. Yami backed away.

Heba had his hands over his mouth, regretting those words the moment he spoke them. He just crossed a major line, and he knew it. "Dad, I-"

"No, Heba, you're right about that." Yami's golden bangs shadowed his eyes. "Your mother was one of those rare humans that are different, that are open to change and acceptance. But even then, the other humans will drive out one of their own if they don't conform to their standards. You would do well to remember that."

"Dad-"

"You should get started on your dye now. It's getting late." Yami turned and walked into the forest.

A tight feeling in his throat, Heba did as his father instructed.

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

Yami stared at his reflection in the running water, absorbing what had just happened. He had fled to the place he always went to collect his thoughts, the waterfall where he and Yugi would have reunited.

Never before had Heba argued so vehemently on the side of humans. There were the times when he was young and questioned on behalf of the humans, but that was all. After Heba's beating, the only interest Heba would take in humans was his passive observations of them, studying them like animals. To defend his habit, Heba would assure him that he would run if any danger was present. This was the first time Heba defended humans and not just his habit.

But his last defense cut more deeply than any weapon could. It was true that Yugi had not been a vampire by birth; he had asked Yami to change him when they confessed their love to one another, so they could be together forever, which Yami did happily. But the point he had made back was even more true.

The two had met long ago, in a different place, far from what was know Vampire's Forest. Yami had never had a good opinion of humans, back then thinking of them the way humans saw cattle. He had found Yugi abandoned and alone after being driven from his village for something he couldn't control; the ability to conceive a child.

Yami took the young human in, but not out of kindness. He had planned to use Yugi as a maid/food source. Yugi, having nothing else to do, went along with him. It wasn't long before Yugi's bright personality and warm soul had started to melt the icy walls around Yami's heart. In time, Yugi brought out sides of Yami even he wasn't aware of. By the end of the first year, Yami could no longer deny he was in love. It was the simple fear of rejection that kept him from confessing to his love. He had contented himself with spending all of his time with Yugi, basking in his presence.

It was ironically because of the human's interference with their lives that had prompted their confessions. He had been discovered as a vampire where they had lived and an angry mob had promptly arrived to drive him away. This hadn't been the first time it had happened to Yami and he was more than willing to flee, but Yugi responded differently. He had stood up to the mob to defend Yami, even with the threat of physical harm.

Before anything could actually happen, Yami had come in and scooped Yugi in his arms, carrying him far from danger. Yami had already moved their more sentimental possessions and set up a camp as soon as he caught wind of the mob. Upon arrival to the camp was a short argument about Yugi's safety and questioning why he would put himself in harm's way. The duel "I love you"s had followed and Yugi had been made into a vampire by the next morning.

They had settled in the forest where they had built a home for themselves. Many years later, they found out Yugi was expecting. It had been a happy, fo filling life. Yami would never be able to forgive the humans for ripping it to shreds.

While what had been said was distressing enough, it was why it was said that really shook Yami. It was almost as if Heba was trying to convince _himself_ rather than him. Yami was at a loss to explain why. No matter the reasons, Yami stayed there a good portion of the night, thinking.

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

Heba stared down at his work as he ran over what he had said to his father. Guilt ate away at his gut, twisting them in uncomfortable knots. There was an unspoken rule between the two. Only Yami was allowed to bring up Yugi. Heba knew how it pained his father to simple _exist_ without his mother, and he would never ask anything about him unless his father had brought him up first.

He heaved a sigh and looked out to the tree line. There was no sign of Yami coming back anytime soon. Heba looked down at his hands, ashamed. He of all people knew the pain his father went through on a daily basis, simply by being separated from the love of his life.

What had been going through his mind to have even said that? He didn't even register he was saying those words until they were out of his mouth. Sure, he had been getting annoyed at his father's constant badgering for him to give up his hobby, but not nearly enough to say that!

Even so, his father had solid reasons to try to keep him away from the humans. Why did Heba even feel the need to defend the humans? He _knew_ that what his father had said was true, there was no denying it. So why did he do it?

The answer was simple; Atem. And Heba was ashamed again. He had let someone he had met _that day_ affect his judgment. A _human_ no less. No matter how nice he had seemed, there was no way a human could ever be worth letting those hurtful words leave his mouth!

Right?

But even as he was telling himself that he was a fool for standing up for _humans_ , he couldn't deny that he felt like he was defending Atem, not humans in general. Heba didn't regret that, just the way he did.

The hope for a friend had been so strong as he had walked into the clearing of his home. His father immediately criticizing humans had seemed almost a challenge to that, reminding Heba that his potential friend was a human and how unlikely it was that they would say friends once the truth came out. And it had _hurt_ to remember that simple reality.

Heba cleared up his work station and went in to get ready for bed. His father wouldn't be home until morning and Heba would apologize then. He had been way out of line at the end, no matter the circumstances.

As he looked out the window in his room, the uncertainty regarding Atem and his true nature swirled around in his head. Yes, Atem was human, but even his father admitted that there _were_ good humans. His mother had been one of them. They were just rare. Heba convinced himself that Atem _had_ to be one of the good ones.

After all, he was the only one out of who knows how many humans to pass his little "test". Heba had even seen it in his eyes that he was different. They had been leagues apart from all of the other human's eyes, kind and curious instead of arrogant and close minded. Atem _had_ to be one of the different ones. He was good, he wouldn't abandon, or worse betray, him when he found out he was a vampire. He would be able to accept him and they would be friends.

He just _had_ to.

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

Returning home had been easier than Atem had expected. Thinking about it, his father wouldn't even notice his absence. He was probably holed up in his office, pouring over his precious trade documents. The only two who would be likely to notice that he was gone would be Seto and Atem's best friend Jounouchi, Jou for short.

If one or the other had come and saw he wasn't there, they would wait for him come back if they did need to talk to him. It wasn't unusual for Atem to be gone; he enjoyed going for walks at night to clear his mind.

Suddenly the thought of both of them waiting for him together in his room made him let out a short bark of laughter. That had been the case once. Atem had found the pair red in the face arguing with the other. It had taken a good minute for either to even realize that Atem was there.

As Atem approached his bedroom window, the sound of a heated argument made him stop in his tracks. A wide smile spread over his face as he listened in.

"-not a dog!" The snippet of Jou's furious statement was enough to for Atem to figure out what the argument was about. Seto must have called Jou "mutt" again.

"You sure act like one, rolling through the trash like one." Seto snidely shot back, gibing at the fact that Jou sometimes had to dig through the trash due to his family's poverty. He always made sure his younger sister, Serenity, had enough at the expense of himself more often than not. The teen's pride also forbade him from taking any help from Atem, no matter what kind of help he offered.

"What's that to you, rich boy?! You've never had to worry about anything in your pampered life, so who are you to judge?!"

At this point, Atem decided to intervene. If things went on like this, his room would be a mess, if it wasn't already. He loudly rapped his knuckles on the window sill to catch their attention.

"Jou does have a point, Seto. So can we stop this before you mess up my room?" Both looked at Atem as he climbed into the room. They both glared at eachother, then turned away from the other. Seeing the situation as "diffused" as it would ever get, Atem asked, "So, what brings you here to my room?"

"Well _I_ was here to see if you wanted to head out to do something. Rich boy was already here and started hassling me when I got here." Jou crossed his arms and muttered, "Don't know why _he's_ here."

Seto was unfazed by the comment and stated, "I was sent here to inform you that there's a business meeting you have to attend tomorrow at noon."

"Noon?" Atem felt his stomach drop. There was no way he would miss his meeting with Heba, but his father _would not_ be happy that he skipped out on him either.

"I take from your expression you're not going?"

"Nope." Atem walked past both of them to sit on his bed, offering other seats in the room to the others. "I've got better things to do tomorrow."

Eyebrows raised. "And what's that, exactly?"

Atem waved his hand dismissively. "It's better than a boring business meeting, that's for sure. What did you want to do Jou?"

Jou narrowed his eyes at his childhood friend. Atem was trying to change the subject and draw them away from whatever he had planned to do the next day, rather than just tell them, like he usually did. That would only happen when he was either going to do something he knew was stupid and didn't want them involved or… Looking at Atem's expression, it had to be the other.

"You met someone, didn't you?" Jou blurted out.

Atem started and stared at him, mouth agape. "H-How did you get that?"

Seto was on alert know and stared critically at his cousin. "Is that your 'better thing' to do tomorrow?" He took the lack of response as an affirmative. "Who ever she is, she isn't worth it." he scoffed.

"It's not like that!" Atem protested.

"Don't you remember Vivian?"

Atem winced. That brought up bad memories. Vivian was the first woman who tried to take advantage of him when he was 15. At the time she was 17, and Atem was proud of the fact that he had an older girlfriend. But it had turned out that she had been cheating on him the whole time, and the experience had turned Atem off from women.

"Besides, I thought you didn't like women anyway." Jou cut in.

"I don't!" Atem waved his arms, trying to dispel the idea. "I met _him_ when I was out walking in the forest!" Too late, Atem was a little _too_ honest about his experience.

As expected, both Seto and Jou simultaneously yelled, "In the FOREST?!"

"Why were you there in the first place, you're lucky to be alive! And you're going to meet him again?!"

"How do you know _he's_ not one of the vampires? He could just be luring you in to kill you!"

Atem winced at the volume both of them had yelled at, and a small part of him was amazed his father hadn't come in yet. "I went in because I saw there were some girls waiting for me on all of my usual routes. It was the only place I could go to be alone." he tried to explain in the best way he could. "He's _not_ a vampire, he couldn't be. He looked about my age and he had _tan_ skin. And not a pale one either, a tan as deep as mine. We all know vampires have _pale_ skin."

"Even if he was a vampire, would that be so bad?" At this, the two of them looked like they were about to start yelling their concerned at him again. Atem lifter his finger to interrupt them before they could. "If you would look at the situation from their perspective, they're justified in what they do. I doubt that he would let me go only to bring me back to kill me later."

Seto saw the conviction in Atem's eyes and knew he usually had good instincts when it came to people. "What's this guy's name?"

"Heba."

Jou still looked very uncertain and wary. Everything in him was telling him to get his friend away from whoever was drawing him into the forest. "Still man, you should be careful. If this guy Heba was in the Vampire's Forest… Well, you don't know what he could have up his sleeve. He could still be trying to take advantage of you somehow."

"You should know, right mutt?"

Jou gave a low growl of "Watch it" in response to the comment, while he told Atem, "Let me know what happens tomorrow between you and Heba. I'd like to know if I still have a best friend." He turned and left the room giving Atem a wave and ignoring Seto.

After a moment, when he was sure Jou was gone, Atem sighed and asked, "Why do you do this to yourself Seto?"

Seto tensed at the question and turned his face away from his younger cousin. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You should stop denying it, you know you have feelings for him." Atem sat back and waited for his cousin's venomous response.

He was not disappointed, as soon as those words were out of his mouth, Seto turned and spat, "As if I would like a mutt like him."

"And yet, you still do." Seto turned back and gave a disdainful snort. "I'm telling you, Seto, you're going to regret what you say to him eventually."

"I'll see you tomorrow Atem, that is if your father doesn't flay you alive for missing the meeting."

Atem watched as his cousin stormed out of the room. He heaved a half tired and half frustrated sigh at Seto's obvious denial. There was no one else that could get his stoic cousin to show so many emotions, and voluntarily at that. No matter what or how Atem tried to get him, that no matter what he said, he did feel _something_ for his blond friend, Seto would always deny it with a passion.

He shook his head to clear it of his previous thoughts. Seto would come to that conclusion eventually and he hoped it wasn't before he did something that did major damage. Atem flopped back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Seto was a big boy, he could take care of himself.

Shifting his thoughts from his troubled cousin to his highly anticipated meeting the next day, Atem wondered what they would do. He knew he couldn't come empty handed, that just wouldn't cut it. He got up and looked at his large selection of games.

Heba had said he liked games, so that so that was a good place to start for a second meeting. Atem grabbed a selection of two player games as well as a couple decks of playing cards. He got a bag to put them in so he wouldn't have to worry about it the next morning.

Atem drummed his fingers on the sides of his legs as he looked around his room. He couldn't think of anything else to prepare for the next day. There was nothing pressing he had to worry about, so he decided to just go to bed. He let out a contented sigh as he cuddled into the blankets. He had a feeling the next day would be wonderful.

* * *

So? Good? Not so good? Tell me what you think. Most of this was made up as I was typing it. The positive side of my mind reminds me of a writing book one of my aunts gave me that had said it was good to have a sort of spontaneity when writing. More room for new ideas to come in and such. But the other part of my mind still thinks that I should have had this more planned out.

Like I had originally planned to have a dream sequence in this chapter, but know it's going to open the next chapter. Even the first scene of this chapter was supposed to close the last one. And it was supposed to be from Heba's perspective. Well, let me know which side of my mind you favor. Hope you enjoyed it anyway!


	4. Back Together

Recently I re-watched Civil War with my mom because she hadn't seen it yet. As I was watching, I started to wonder _How the hell did I get a vampire fic from this?_ And also as I watched, I came across my answer. In that airport scene that's in all the trailers is a perfect portrayal, on Robert Downey Jr's part, of a man with his whole world falling apart. I was in awe of the performance.

I guess the first time I watched my mind started working with the feelings I had, threw in odds and ends lying around my mind, and as I was trying to process the movie that night, came up with the concept of this story. Then, that weekend I put more work into visualizing this story and so… here we are!

Enough of my rambling, let's get on with the replies.

Replies to Reviews:

SilverDewDrop - Aw, don't worry about when you review, I don't mind if they are a little late. No need to apologize! Same here too on the "love at first sight" thing. I don't like when they barely spend one day, or worse 5 minutes, together and they're already telling each other "I love you". There's no emotional investment in that. I can forgive it if the rest of the story is good, but that's not often. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

ktkat9 - You'll see...

InuYoishi - Great!

Onwards to chapter 3!

* * *

 _Yami opened his eyes and found himself to be in a dimly lit room. He saw a bed with two figures lying in it, peacefully sleeping with a small bassinet beside them. This was a familiar room, one Yami could recognize anywhere. It was the room he had shared with Yugi. With a thick lump in his throat, Yami realized it was a dream. One he'd had many times before._

 _Just as expected, a soft crying started to fill the room coming from the bassinet, growing louder the longer it was ignored. Yami recognized his dream-self stir and make his way to the source of the crying. Dream-Yami gently brought him into his arms with a soothing coo of, "It's alright, Tenchi. I'll get your bottle now."_

 _The infant Heba stopped crying for a moment, feeling himself being held, before crying louder. Yami rocked his son in his arms as he prepared him a bottle and sat in a padded rocking chair in the corner of the room. He hummed for the fussy infant until he was calm enough to take the bottle, then let out a content sigh as he fed Heba._

 _As he watched the two dream figures, his own self wearing an expression of pure bliss, Yami remembered these times with a painful clench of his heart. Heba couldn't have been more than a few weeks old at this point. When he was that age, he would need to eat every two hours. Yami and Yugi had taken turns to get up and feed their son. These were the quiet moments that Yami treasured and missed the most._

 _Soon enough, little Heba was done and Dream-Yami burped him whispering, "There Heba, let it out. Let it out Tenchi." Heba burped and started falling back to sleep as his father started humming to him again. Yami rocked back and forth on the chair, further lulling his son to sleep._

 _There was a small shift on the bed. A pair of sleepy half lidded amethyst eyes caught the attention of their crimson counterparts. Yugi had a small smile playing on his lips as he watched his mate with their son. There couldn't have been a sight he enjoyed more. He sleepily mouthed, "I love you Koi."_

 _Yami smiled, mouthing back, "I love you to Aibou." Once receiving the message back, amethyst eyes closed and went back to sleep. Heba was snoring softly a few minutes later and_ very _carefully, Yami settled him in his bassinet._

 _He watched his sleeping son a moment before turning and climbing back in bed, pulling his mate close to him. Yugi unconsciously snuggled closer into Yami's hold. Yami buried his nose into his soft hair, breathing in the scent of him, before falling back to sleep himself._

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

Yami jerked awake with a strangled gasp. Tears were already falling and Yami made no move to stop them. He closed his eyes and tried to breath around the ever growing lump in his throat. Placing his forehead against his knees, Yami begin to cry.

He cried out his grief once again, as he had done so many times over. Koi. Love. That is what Yugi had called him. What he wouldn't give to hear his Aibou's sweet voice call him that one more time. What he wouldn't give just to see Yugi's beautiful smile once more, or just hold him one more time, even for a moment.

Looking up at the sky, Yami saw the moon hanging high showing the night to be half through. The moon was full. Yami felt a bitter smile of irony tug at the corners of his mouth. On that blissful night, the moon was also full.

Taking another deep breath as he raised, Yami tracked back home. Seeing the place he now resided, a rueful snort accompanied the bitter smile. This was not the home he had built with Yugi. Yugi had always loved nature, and so had insisted their home be in the middle of the forest they called home.

After the tragedy that fell that night, Yami knew he would never be able to live in a place so haunted by ghosts. Ghosts of happiness. Even just going back to retrieve their possessions, Yami had been bombarded with those ghosts. The memories of the quiet happy moments that had made up the bulk of his life.

Memories like all those times Yami had surprised his love with picnics, all those times Yugi would decorate the house with his favorite flowers, and all those nights they would just stay up talking and laughing. The ghosts of all the firsts in Heba's life hit even more keenly; first steps, first words, first teeth and so many more.

Their lives together had just barely begun, then it was ended so suddenly. Yami knew he would've gone mad having to face such an assault everyday.

So, on the dawn following the tragedy, Yami had carried his son to where they would've sought shelter; the home of his best friend Bakura and his mate Ryou. They had stayed there for a few months while Yami, with the help of Bakura and his one other friend Marik, had built a new home for the father and son to live in.

They both came to see him every couple of years, more frequently directly after the incident. Yami was grateful for his friends, they were there for him when he needed them. There had been a multitude of times when he had needed one of them to watch Heba because he just couldn't handle his grief. After a few years, Heba even had playmates.

As he walked into his home, Yami paused outside Heba's door before going in. This had become a habit of his, watching his son sleep. It gave him comfort to see him lying there peacefully, breathing and alive. He sat down on the edge of the bed careful not to disturb him.

Heba was the spitting image of Yugi, but Yami could make out a few differences between them. They would've been almost indiscernible to most people but to Yami, they were as clear as day. His face was as round like Yugi's, but his cheekbones were just a tad higher. His golden bangs, much like both of his parents, were just a shade lighter than Yugi's had been. And while his eyes were closed, Yami knew that there was a touch of crimson in the amethyst of his eyes.

Yami sat there for a while, just staring at Heba, watching his chest rise and fall rhythmically with his breath. He slowly brought a hand to Heba's face and brushed the bangs out of his face. It brought happiness to his heart when Heba leaned into his touch. "Oh, Yugi." Yami whispered. "If only you could see our little tenchi. He still looks so much like you, just as beautiful as you were."

The lump in his throat was back as were the tears in his eyes. "He's so much like you too. His smile, his laugh, the shine in his eyes, they're all from you. If you could only see what our Heba has grown into, you'd be so proud." Yami took a deep breath. "Can you see us Yugi? I hope you can. You'd be so proud of him. You would've loved him just as much as I do, if not more."

Yami blinked away the tears and looked out the window to the stars. "Yugi, Aibou, I miss you so much. And I know Heba does too, even though he didn't know you very well. Yugi, I love you with all my heart, and I always will, no matter how many years pass. I hope-" he had to choke back his sobs, "-I hope that wherever you are, you can still see us. We miss you Aibou."

He placed a gentle kiss on Heba's forehead whispering, "Goodnight, Tenchi" before making his way out of the room to his own. Once there, Yami let his tears begin anew.

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

The next morning, Heba awoke earlier than he usually would. For one thing, he wanted to apologize to his father in his own way and wanted to be sure he could do it before he woke up. The other thing was that he wanted to be sure he wouldn't be late for his meeting with Atem.

As Heba dressed, he thought of things for he and Atem to do. There were some small clearings full of wildflowers that were pleasant to be in, crystal clear streams that were fun to fish in, and even a place where Heba had gathered all of his artwork into a sort of gallery. Heba was most excited to show Atem the last one.

Heba hurried out of the house and into one of the wildflower filled clearings. He quickly sought out the flowers he wanted to apologize to his father. He got some purple hyacinths, white asphodels, and marigolds for his apologetic bouquet*. Looking down and inhaling the scent of the flowers, Heba was reminded of one of the few memories he had of when his family was still whole.

His parents had often taken him out when he was young to the clearings full of flowers and explained the language of the flowers to him. He clearly remembered many times when his mother had taken him in his lap and shown him every flower with in reach. Even after, Yami had made it a point to teach Heba in Yugi's place.

When Heba got back, Yami was already awake and waiting for him outside the door. He hesitantly approached his father, who was leaning against the wall. Heba handed him the flowers with a whispered apology.

Yami smiled looking down at the flowers his son had gotten him. This was their preferred method of apology, using the flower language that Yugi had been so fond of. It not only reminded them of him, but also made them feel that much closer to him. He hugged his son and whispered back, "It's okay Tenchi. I know you didn't mean it like that."

Pulling Heba away, to look into his eyes, Yami said as sincerely as he could, "If you ever think you are in any danger, promise me you'll run. Remember just how dangerous humans can be." Heba nodded. Yami sighed with relief, seeing the regret and guilt in his eyes. He pulled his son in for another hug. "I'd die if anything happened to you."

The father and son pair stayed like that, embracing the other for a good while, the father never noticing the guilty look his son sent in the direction of the trees.

(*)(*)(*)(*)YGO(*)(*)(*)(*)

Atem sprang out of bed as soon as he felt the morning sun's rays on his face. A swift change of clothes and grabbing of his bag was all he needed as Atem left his room the same way he entered it the night before; through the window. Not a second too soon, his father Aknankanon burst into his room, demanding he get ready for the meeting.

With a smirk spreading across his face, Atem ran to the village's market to grab some food. He was a fairly recognizable figure in the village and received many friendly greetings from the inhabitants. Waving back and smiling at the many acquaintances he had acquired over the years, the fact that Atem had never heard of his look alike ever visiting the village surfaced. It couldn't have been that long ago.

Even if no one had helped or taken any interest in Heba, someone was bound to have noticed him and commented about it to Atem at some point. It wasn't exactly common to see anyone who even vaguely resembled him. He shrugged it off as just pure chance and went on his business of buying himself some food.

As he was looking through all the baked goods he could buy, Atem was struck with a brilliant idea. Having lived in the forest all his life, it was unlikely Heba had ever had the chance to try any of the sweets that were currently being sold. Atem picked out a dozen cookies of different kinds, then two chocolate cupcakes.

The women selling the goods, smiled and asked, "For anyone special?"

"Something like that." Atem answered with a sheepish smile. He took the wrapped sweets and placed them on top of the games in his bag, careful they wouldn't be crushed. He had bought a simple beagle for his own breakfast and Atem ate that on his way to Heba's garden.

The treck to the garden was a little longer than usual because Atem had to enter the forest from a different point than the day before and it took some time to reorient himself. It was a little early for him to be there, maybe half an hour or so early, but he didn't have anything better to do. He was surprised to find Heba already waiting for him leaning against a tree when he got there. Just as he was about to call out a greeting, Atem noticed the conflicted look on his face.

Before he could do anything more, Heba saw Atem standing there and called out a greeting of his own, the previous look on his face vanishing. It was gone so fast, Atem almost thought imagined it.

"Atem, you're early!"

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." Atem looked at Heba closely, but could not find any trace of what he had seen. But he knew he saw it. He decided to let it go for now, just taking care of the pleasantries between them.

"Don't worry about it." Heba waved a hand dismissively. "I don't exactly have much else to do. This is the highlight of my _year_." He gave Atem a smile that was somehow both playful and sad, as if he wasn't telling him everything.

Atem couldn't help but raise a teasing eyebrow at that. "Really now? Just how long were you waiting for me?"

Heba flushed and looked away. "I woke up too early and ended up waiting for about an hour."

For a reason unknown to him, the sight of Heba's flushed face made Atem more happy than it probably should have. Regardless, he still laughed at the other's obvious embarrassment. He was surprised out of his laughter when Heba took an unexpected swat at him. "It's not that funny!" he hissed, still flushed.

He chuckled once more and patted Heba on the head. "If you say so, little one."

For a moment, Heba froze at both the pat on the head and the name Atem had called him. He shook off the hand on his head and said, "Okay, that's enough!" He looked then to the bag Atem had brought. Eyeing it, Heba asked, "What's in the bag?"

Atem's eyes seemed to sparkle as he pulled out a small box colored with red. He opened the box and pulled out a deck of cards. "I've got some good games in here, but do you want to start out with some cards?"

Just like Atem's, Heba's eyes lit up at the mention of games. "That would be great!" An idea came to him. "I've got just the place to play those games. Follow me."

Soon enough, Heba had lead the two to a clearing in the forest with flowers in a riot of colors. Heba took a seat on the grass near the middle of the clearing and beckoned Atem to do the same. The other sank down to the grass with the other and was surprised at the softness of the grass. Down at ground level, it was also much easier to take in the mixture of smells from the flowers.

Atem ran his hands over the soft grass and commented, "I'm surprised the grass is this soft. Usually the grass is more spiny than this."

"It's because this grass is new grown. You can tell because it's a lighter shade of green than the other grass." Heba pointed out the patch of grass they were sitting on and another a few feet away. "I thought this was a good place to start playing." A mischievous smile spread across his face. "Let's see how good you are."

"Oh, you're confident aren't you?" Atem asked, returning the smile. "I'll have you know No one ever beats me at a game." He got out the deck of cards again and they both played several rounds of go fish, blackjack, and mao. As to be expected, Heba lost the first rounds of all games. But as they played more and more, Heba slowly began to gain ground on Atem and soon enough, the games were evenly matched.

Finishing their last game of go fish, Atem stared down at the cards. Heba had won. _Again_. For the fifth time in a row. He looked at the rather smug looking boy sitting across from him incredulously. "How did you get so good, so fast?"

Heba shrugged and said, "I don't know. I've always been good at strategy games. Dad sure made sure of that."

"Your Dad, huh? What about your mom? You haven't said anything about her but you've talked about your dad a lot." Atem stared gathering the cards and shuffling them for another round, oblivious to the way Heba had stiffened.

Thoughts running a mile a minute, Heba took stalk of the situation. He could quite easily just say that his mother had died when he was three, and that could be that. But this also presented a unique opportunity to test Atem's acceptance. If he could take the fact that his mother hadn't been a 'she', than it was that much more likely he would accept the other thing about him.

Atem looked up from the cards when he didn't get a response from his playing partner. "Heba?"

Head tilted down, Heba choked out, "My mother is dead."

Hands dropped the cards they had been shuffling. Atem's mouth gaped and the only thing he could splutter out was a weak, "I'm sorry."

A thick silence had fallen as Heba slowly nodded his head. Atem inwardly face palmed. He of all people knew how hollow the words "I'm sorry" could be. So, to lift the silence, Atem admitted, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't have a mom either."

Heba's head shot up at that and Atem continued. "She left when I was 12. Apparently she met a 'real man' and left with him." He started pulling at the grass, not looking at Heba as his mind was taken back to that day, how he had called out to his mother but she hadn't even looked back at her only son. It would be a lie if he said it didn't hurt.

A hand came to cover his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Crimson looked deep into amethyst and both made a discovery about the other. There was a hint of crimson in the amethyst and the crimson had flecks of blue.

With a comforting smile, Heba said, "It's okay, my mother died a long time ago." He took a deep breath and said the thing that could break them apart. "He was killed when I was three."

It was Atem's turn to shoot his head up. "Killed?" Then the rest of the statement registered. "Wait… He?"

Hearing the disbelieving tone to his voice, Heba released Atem's hand and backed away from him, averting his eyes. "Yeah. Does that bother you?"

Atem was still trying to process the information. In just one seven word sentence, Heba had given him two big pieces of information, but also more than that. He knew that there were radicals who thought it was some great evil in the fact that there were a few males who had the ability to carry a child. There had been many times when he had heard of some form of violence taken against them. So if Heba's mother had been one of them, it would make perfect sense why his father had isolated them from the rest of society.

"Look, if you have a problem with my parentage, you can just leave and I'll-" These words were enough to snap Atem out of his thoughts and spring up to stop the other from leaving.

"No, Heba, I don't have a problem with it." In his haste to stop him from leaving, Atem had reflexively grabbed the other boy around the waist, his back pressed against his chest. He could feel Heba beginning to tremble in his arms and Atem turned him to face him.

He locked eyes with him and saw the hope burning so strongly in them. For a moment, the breath was stolen from Atem's throat. Oh yes, he could see crystal clear why Heba's father had kept him from other people. Even he wanted to protect the boy he held in his arms from all who would do him harm. Especially if-

"Do you really mean that?" The whispered question held all of the emotions Heba was feeling at that moment; tremendous joy, unbelievable relief, and inexplicable amounts of trust.

Atem could only nod and say, "From the bottom of my heart. The circumstances of a person's birth mean nothing to me. And even so, I don't find anything wrong with the fact that there are some men that can bare a child." He touched foreheads with Heba and wiped away the tears that were beginning to leak out of the corners of his eyes. "I would like nothing more than to get to know you better, Heba."

The dam that had been behind Heba's eyes had broken at those words. He threw his arms around Atem and buried his head in his shoulder. In response, Atem only brought the crying boy closer to him, letting him empty out his tears.

"I was so scared." Heba whimpered. "I thought if you knew, you would just leave me. I don't have anyone eye sides my dad and I love him, but I just want something _more_. Is that so bad?"

Atem just started to whisper comforting words into his ear, gently rocking him until his cries subsided. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to branch out. It's natural even. If you want to be friends, I would be more than happy."

With one last sniffle, Heba turned his head to rest it on Atem's shoulder. A short bark of laughter came from him, and he unwrapped his arms from the other to rest them in his lap. "You know, I've never had the chance to tell anyone that. Dad always warned me that people would reject me, or kill me, if I ever did. This is one of the few times when he's ever been wrong."

A chuckle of amusement came from Atem, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is that why your dad hates people so much?"

"Yeah, he's never been able to forgive people as a whole for what happened. Dad's always told me we were better off not having to deal with them, that we had everything we needed where we were." He sighed and leaned back on his arms. "Sometimes I wish he would though."

Atem clasped his hands together and tried to phrase his last question without being rude. Just deciding to go for it, he asked, "Hey, is it okay if I ask you a question?"

"Sure Atem." Heba kept a straight face, holding back his knowing smile.

"W-well, um-" Atem started to stutter, "Do you-, I mean are you-, can you-?"

Heba finally laughed and finished for him, "Am I like my mother, you mean?"

"Y-yeah."

"Yes." Atem was struck by the sheer bluntness of the statement. Just a minute ago, Heba had been visibility unnerved having to reveal that one part of himself, but now he was admitting something even more without a care in the world. "Is that a problem?" Heba's joking tone made Atem realize he had shown his surprise far too obviously.

He bumped shoulders with Heba and replied, "Not a problem at all."

They both shared a laugh at that and just stayed like that a moment longer. "Alright, well I've got some stuff to show you to." Heba sprang up and dragged Atem up with him. "Come on!"

Unbeknownst to the two budding friends, on the other side of the forest, Yami had made a discovery that did not bode well for them. The vampire often spent his days wondering the forest, lost in thought, unless his son wanted to spend the day with him. Those days were few, and Yami respected that; he remembered what it was like for him at Heba's age.

But now he was growling at the supremely unwelcome scent trail he found. It was about a day old and there were two overlapping trails. It would be pointless to follow the trail any further as whatever had left it had already left the forest. Still, it was one pest that got lucky and escaped the forest unscathed; there had been many times when others had become emboldened and foolishly decided to make a return trip. Yami spat on the trail and left, going to return home to be sure he could warn his son about the threat, no matter how vague.

Lip upturned with disgust, Yami hissed, _"Human."_

* * *

I've just noticed this now, but I usually post either late at night or early in the morning. This one is the latter. As I type this on my iPad, the time is 2:07am. Well, I guess that doesn't matter that much, I write my best stuff at night. Hope this stuff was good, I think it was.

Now, I think this is the first proper cliffhanger I've ever written, if it could be called a cliffhanger. This is for a purpose, something to get the juices flowing for the next chapter. As I type this, I'll be on a plane to Oregon in 36 hours to visit my older cousin for about 4 weeks. It is a major goal of mine to post the next chapter while still there, but just the fact that my cousin has a four year old and one year old to take care of, the next chapter will probably be posted in 4 weeks. But fingers crossed!

I know not that many of you are interested in my life but this next part it just a bit of venting. I am _so happy_ school is over! My last day of the 10th grade was on Thursday and I couldn't be more relieved! How did that rhyme go again? "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks"? Well, that's me about now, especially in Algebra 2. That course just about killed me this year! But I passed and I'm taking statistics next year.

Well, that's that and I hope to get your reviews and opinions via the box below. All kind of feedback is welcome, flames could be just as useful as positive reviews, given the right person is writing them. Regardless, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

*I am no expert on this, it just always interested me and all the information I get is from the internet. I'm learning as I go. All three are a way of conveying regret for the giver's actions and asking for forgiveness.


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